The Ruby of Kishmoor (1908) is a deceptively simple story by renowned
author and illustrator Howard Pyle. From the very beginning, it concerns
itself with the mystery behind appearances, with all that lies hidden
beneath the veil of a first glance.
"You may never know what romantic aspirations may lie hidden beneath the
most sedate and sober demeanor." This is how the reader is introduced to
Jonathan Rugg, a young Quaker from Philadelphia who unwittingly stumbles
onto the adventure of a lifetime. In Kingston, Jamaica to work as a
merchant, Rugg is an average, unassuming man. When Jonathan meets a
woman veiled in silver fabric--and shrouded in mystery--she gives him a
ball of ivory that carries with it a dreadful curse. Meanwhile, the
fabled Ruby of Kishmoor has disappeared. The pirate Captain Robertson
Keitt, a former merchant whose escapades in Africa and the Middle East
have passed into legend, has been murdered by his crew, who suspected
their captain of conspiring against them to steal the ruby. As Rugg is
plunged into peril, a mystery unravels unlike any other. Howard Pyle's
The Ruby of Kishmoor is the tale of a man whose "serious" appearance
conceals an abundant "appetite for romantic adventure."
For the reader looking to satisfy a craving for adventure, this is a
work which rivals the better-known classic of swashbuckling terror,
Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1882). Curiously enough,
Pyle's student N.C. Wyeth would go on to illustrate a classic edition of
Stevenson's work in 1911, and was certainly influenced by his teacher's
well-documented skill for painting pirates and scenes on the high seas.
The Ruby of Kishmoor, written and illustrated entirely by Pyle, is a
book for children and adults alike.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this new edition of Howard Pyle's The Ruby of Kishmoor is a thrilling
work of adventure reimagined for modern readers.
